A Change in Plans
by parthaker
Summary: Extremely AU. What could have happened if instead of fighting Dumbledore and the Order, Voldemort focused his efforts on the Muggle world during his first rise. A different take on the first war. A series of one-shots for now, depends on response


Extremely AU. What could have happened if instead of fighting Dumbledore and the Order, Voldemort focused his efforts on the Muggle world during his first rise. A different take on the first war. A series of one-shots for now. Might be expanded to a full story depending on response.

* * *

_June 20th, 1969, London_

* * *

Foreboding grey clouds covered the city below, churning grimly in the night sky. Rain lashed down and pounded the pavement, drenching anyone unfortunate enough to get caught in the storm. Through cracks in the blanket of clouds, the moon's mercury flush cast down shivers of light on the city beneath with a ghostly glow. Occasionally there was a deep rumble of thunder, shaking windows and setting off car alarms. The wailing sirens called to the heavens in pain, begging for relief from the torrential downpour.

But this was all but ignored by one individual, floating high in the air amidst the raging elements. Hovering nearly 150 meters above the ground, was a figure. Perched on a Nimbus 1900, disillusioned and silenced, the wizard was all but undetectable to wandering eyes and ears.

The man's cold blue eyes observed the building beneath, his mind calculating the best approach to complete his objective. There was no use in rushing, he knew. He had the entire night, although the cover the storm provided certainly did not hurt. The weather conditions, of course, did not affect him in the least. A simple application of the Impervious Charm caused all water to slide off him and a variation of the Supersensory Charm allowed his vision to remain unhindered by the darkness of night.

Below him, in all its glory, lay Windsor Castle. The normally lush lawns were muddied and sodden by the constant rainfall and the many carefully trimmed topiaries were drooping under the weight of the sky's rage.

And in it was the reason of his late night flight.

Focusing on the grounds of the royal residence, the man twisted and silently disappeared from his place in the sky. He reappeared on the ground in an inaudible rush of air, still riding his broomstick, and still invisible. Carefully, he dismounted and stowed the broom away in his pocket, the entire broom sliding into the expanded space. Part of the Queen's Guard, two sentries guarding the entrance of the castle, had noticed nothing.

"_What a terrible job it must be,"_ he mused. "_T__o spend your nights standing outside, regardless of heat, rain, or snow."_

Today, however, the weather would no longer be a concern for them. Flexing his hand, a wand slipped out of his arm holster, pale wood gleaming, and slid into his palm. With two flicks the guards were silenced and another two flicks caused their bodies to lock in the positions they were in. To an outside viewer, nothing unusual would have seemed to occur.

With an unhurried gait, he walked towards the two frozen men. As he got closer, he was amused to see that their eyes were darting about frantically, unable to understand what was happening. He allowed himself to smirk.

"Foolish muggles," he murmured. "How difficult it must be for you, to be unable to comprehend my power, my magic. You strive to protect your beloved Queen, yet do not understand how weak you truly are."

The guards' eyes were now fixated on the spot from which the voice was originating. But they still could see anyone. Just a slight disturbance in the air in front of them as rain ran off an invisible object.

Or a person.

The sentries grew even more frantic, eyes bulging as their tried to break the unnatural force that had taken hold of their bodies. The disturbance laughed. A chilling, high laugh that would have made the guards recoil...if they still had control of their limbs.

"Your struggles are amusing, but I have other, more important sources for my entertainment tonight. _Obliviate"_

Their eyes glazed over as the memory of the last few minutes was ripped from their mind and destroyed. Simultaneously, the silencing spell was lifted and they regained control of their bodies. As they were recovering from their daze, neither of them noticed the door the were guarding shut quietly.

Inside the castle, the wizard twitched his wand and the key he had duplicated from the guards Vanished. Pausing for a moment, he observed his surroundings. The hallway he was currently in was decadent to the extreme. Gold dripped off the furniture, walls, and ceiling. Lining the hallway were several busts, no doubt of the previous inhabitants of the castle. Further down, he could see a case filled with select treasures from the Royal Collection.

He sneered. The arrogance and sheer extravagance of the castle was sickening. _Muggles did not deserve these luxuries. _Of course, there were several Pure-Blood families whose wealth could easily rival this, but still. Focusing back on the task at hand, he channeled magic into his wand and then released it in a explosive burst. The wave of magic, completely undetectable to muggles, swept through the many of hallways and rooms that the castle contained, searching for one person. And...there! The wand in his hand vibrated and turned in his grasp, pointing upwards and to the left. He smiled and allowed it to guide him up the stairs and to a room on the 4th floor. Standing in front of the door to the room were another four guards. This time however, he was not as generous as with the guards outside.

With a swish of his wand, the vocal cords of the men were severed. All four collapsed, clutching at their throats as blood starting spewing out of their mouths. A delighted smile grew across the wizard's face as watched the four men writhe in agony on the ground, trying and failing to scream. Then he frowned. There was too much blood. He mentally berated himself for becoming reckless simply to amuse himself. There could be no trace of his actions. With another jab, the wounds that he caused were cauterized. Three of the men had passed out from the pain, but the last one was lucid enough to claw at his throat as it blackened and charred from the heat.

Paying the last guard no mind, he quickly stepping past the bodies and silently made his way into the bedroom. And there sitting at a desk writing a letter, was the person he was looking for:

_Her Majesty_ Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

With a casual flick of his wand which betrayed great skill, an invisible dome of magic sprouted from the tip and engulfed the room, preventing all sound from escaping.

* * *

The Queen of England was having an eventful day. The American astronauts on Apollo 11 had just landed on the moon. Currently she was writing a message to the President congratulating him and his country on this achievement.

"_-I send my warmest congratulations to you, to the crew of Apollo 11, and to the American people on the historic occasion of man's first landing on the Moon. I am filled with admiration for the fortitude of Astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, whose exploits add a new dimension to man's knowledge of the Universe. I offer my good wishes and prayers for their safe return." _The letter would be sent tomorrow and would be received within a days.

She sighed tiredly. Although she was only in her 40s, the stress of being the figure head of one of the world's most powerful countries was taxing. Coming to the castle on the weekends and spending time with family was a welcome relief from duties required of her as Queen. She folded the letter neatly and moved to place it in an enve-

"Your Majesty."

The Queen of England tensed. There had been no one in the room except her. Of that she was absolutely certain. She forced the guards to remain outside, so she could have some semblance of privacy. There was no possible way that the guards would have let someone in without informing her first. Slowly, she turned around to look at the intruder. Standing in the middle of her bedroom was a figure. Swathed in black robes and gloves, with a raised hood concealing his face, she could not discern his identity. But the wand in his hand gave away what he was.

"You have five seconds to explain who you are, and why you are in my room, _wizard, _before I sound the alarm. Lower your hood and identify yourself!"

The wizard raised his hands in a non threatening manner.

"No need to worry, Your Majesty. I am not here to harm you"

Slowly the man raised his arms to his hood and then lowered it slowly, making sure not to make any sudden movements. The Queen was startled to find an astonishingly handsome man under the hood. She stared at him, noticing his deep blue eyes and etched jawline. A disarming smile adorned his face and the Queen oddly, found herself relaxing.

"How can I help you...?"

The man laughed charmingly, "My name is not important right now Your Majesty, but I have a few favors that I wish to ask of you. Would you be willing to indulge me?"

Elizabeth felt that he should have given her his name, but the thought left her mind as she brushed it off as irrelevant.

"I suppose I can at least hear your concerns," she relented. The man seemed harmless enough. As she moved her hand away from the alarm button, she relaxed further, knowing that the guards were right outside. The wizard seemed overjoyed that she would listen to him.

"Thank you Your Majesty! I am humbled by your generosity!" the wizard murmured, bowing low. "What I require, is well, your throne."

Elizabeth blinked. "My throne".

"Yes" The wizard seemed delighted by her confusion. Why was he happy? In fact, what had he just asked for? Her throne? Ridiculous? But why did the wizard seem so pleased.

"Obviously you can't have -" Something was wrong. She couldn't move her mouth. All the muscles in her face had stopped working, and her tongue was flopping out of her open mouth. What was happening?

"Ahh. I so loathe when people refuse me" The wizard was still smiling at her. Did he not notice her state? Why wasn't he helping her? But the smile was different. It was no longer a cheerful grin. Now it was a cruel smirk. His eyes were no longer welcoming either. Instead, they had been replaced by chips of dark blue that contained a calculating insanity. As if a mirror had shattered, Elizabeth felt the haze in her mind, that she had been completely unaware of, lift.

Realizing her predicament, she desperately scrambled for the hidden pistol she always kept in the desk drawer. But to her horror she found that the chair she was sitting in had come alive, and the arm rests were pinning her to the seat.

"Now, now. No need to panic. I am not going to harm you"

She turned her head back to face the grinning monstrosity that had once been a genial, smiling gentlemen.

"UGHHHHH!" She tried to call out to the guards stationed outside. If they could come, then she would be saved. With a band, the door slammed open and she nearly sobbed in relief. And through the door came...a head. Cleanly cut at the neck, with sickening burnt flesh surrounding the cut, the head flew through the air and thudded to a halt at her feet. Her mind went numb at the sight.

"Were you expecting him perhaps?" The wizard laughed at her distress. "No, worthless muggle, no help is coming for you tonight. But worry not, I am nearly finished."

Looking up in despair, the Queen saw the wizard raise his wand, the bone white wood gleaming the lamp light. There was a pause, and then...

_"Imperio". _

The last thing Queen Elizabeth the Second saw, was the wizard's eyes flicking to a hateful red, before everything went black.

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******A/N:  
****June 20, 1969 is actually the day the the astronauts landed on the Moon. The message being written by the Queen is the actual message written to the President of the United States of America. I tried to be as accurate when talking about the Queen's titles and the Windsor Castle, but please inform me if I've made any mistakes. **

**And finally, PLEASE REVIEW. Whether you want to flame, give constructive criticism, or simply give me your thoughts, PLEASE REVIEW THIS STORY. Alternately, you can PM me with questions. Cheers! :)**

**-parthaker**


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